The Hunger Games: A Gale and Katniss Story
by GM Grantham
Summary: Gale is selected instead of Peeta. Follow these two star-crossed lovers as their friendship, under the pressure of the Games, blossoms into something more.
1. One

**One**

"And our male tribute is...Gale Hawthorne."

She froze, the scream so desperate to break free trapped in her throat. No. She'd misheard. Her gaze flew to Gale only to have her worst fears confirmed. He stood ramrod straight, pale as the ghosts that haunted her dreams. Effie looked positively enamored with the selections and it took everything she had not to rip that smug look from that horrible woman's face.

The shock had worn off slightly and she saw Prim clinging to the boy with the bread, Peeta Mellark, sobbing openly. Her mother stood beside them with the same shell-shocked expression that she'd worn the day her father was killed. Her mother's eyes, already barely alive, went completely dead. Her mind raced. She was truly gone. Dear mericiless Heavens. Who will care for Prim? With she and Gale both gone, who would check their snares for food both to trade and to feed their families?

Her gaze lifted to Peeta's. She found strength in his gaze, a silent promise and she sucked in a sharp breath. This stranger, who meant nothing more to her than bread when her family was starved beyond sense, was offering to take care of her family while she struggled in the Games, most likely doomed to never return. He couldn't mean it, could he?

"Katniss," he mouthed. Her eyes widened, surprised he knew her name. "I'll do everything in my power. I promise."

She'd never taken him for being particularly heroic, but in this moment he was her Knight in Shining Armor. So much strength. If only she could be as certain as he was. Her gaze returned to Gale, who was now moving toward the stage. It was expected, after all, that they stand before the world as though being selected was the greatest honor of their young lives instead of the death sentence that it was.

"Thank you," she mouthed back as Gale joined her on stage and placed her hand in the crook of his arm, squeezing reassuringly.

She studied Gale's face. Hers, it seemed, betrayed her fear.

"Everything will be all right, Catnip," he whispered, a half-hearted smile curving the corners of his lips.

The silence was so deafening that you could have heard a pin drop. It started with Peeta. He pressed his three middle fingers to his lips and raised them in the familiar silent salute. One by one, the others in the crowd followed suit. She gaped. The sign of respect. It wasn't given lightly.

Effie grasped both of their shoulders. "Your District 12 tributes!"

Goodbyes had always been tough for Katniss. Even when she and Gale parted after their hunting trips, she'd refused to say it. Now there was every chance that this was indeed goodbye forever. Her throat tightened at the thought of never seeing her little duck again and she fought back tears.

"Go to the bakery every day," she instructed. "And Peeta will make sure you and mother have food to eat. Remember what I taught you about the berries and follow your instincts when it comes to trade. If a deal seems too good to be true, it absolutely is. No matter what, stay in school," she choked out. "Just...take care of yourself." I turned to my mother. "Promise me you won't check out. She needs you."

Her mother nodded.

"It'll be okay, Katniss," Prim smiled. "You're amazing and smart...maybe you can win."

She couldn't help but smile in return. "Maybe. Then we'd have more money than we could ever need. You'd never want for anything."

Prim shook her head. "I could care less about the money. I just want you home alive."

The Peacekeeper entered and Katniss knew their time was up. "I love you, little duck."

She was surprised when Prim threw her arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. "Love you, too."

Her mother's expression cracked. "Katniss, I'm so very sorry," she croaked.

"I love you, too, Mother," she murmured. "PLEASE, PLEASE take care of yourself and Prim."

Familiar arms wrapped themselves around her and she realized that her mother was hugging her. She basked in the security, forgetting for just a moment that she was being taken to her death. She was 7 years old again, her mother singing familiar lullabies to send her into the blissful embrace of sleep.

The Peacekeeper led them from the room and she glanced over to see Gale and his family exchanging their goodbyes. His siblings cried and his mother wore the expression of a rabbit just before an arrow speared its heart. Yet another reminder that Gale, too, was facing almost certain death. She started at the sensation of a hand on her shoulder and was stunned to find Peeta standing in front of her with a package in his hand. He dropped the package and enveloped her in a hug.

"I know this is probably the worst timing in the world," he murmured into my ear. "But I haven't stopped thinking about you since that day with the bread." He pulled back, his expression unreadable. "I wish it had been Madge...anyone but you or Prim. I promise I will do everything that I can to keep her safe until you get back. And you will come back. I know you will. You're too strong not to."

"Why?" she asked. "I'm no one to you. Just a strange girl who dug through the baker's trash to get food to feed my family."

He shook his head. "You're so much more than you think you are. Maybe that's why I'm so crazy about you." She sucked in a breath at his admition and opened her mouth to reply, but he, again, shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Just worry about surviving and coming home to Prim like you promised." The Peacekeeper glared at them and Peeta sighed. "I should go. Be safe and follow your instincts. You'll do great."

And then, she and Gale were alone. She dropped to the couch and at last let the fear consume her. Clutching a pillow to her chest, she cried in frustration and loss. Strong arms wound their way around her from behind and she leaned back against the solid chest, letting his soft reassurances soothe her.

"I wish it had been that horrible girl, Madge, instead of you," he admitted hoarsely. "Anyone but you and Prim. I prayed that you wouldn't be selected. I would give anything that you wouldn't have to go through this. I'd die rather than lose you."

She whimpered. "Gale, oh Gale. Please don't say that. I can't stand the thought of anything happening to you. You're my best friend. Promise me that you'll fight. Please, Gale, promise me."

Reluctantly, he replied, "I promise, Catnip. I promise."


	2. Two

Even after they boarded the train that would take them to the Capitol, she stayed close to Gale, knowing that he was the only thing keeping her from breaking entirely. At the moment, they sat on a couch with her leaned back against him much as she had in the Goodbye room, staring out the window at the various landscapes that blurred by.

Occasionally, he would kiss her head or nuzzle her neck. Despite the intimacy of his actions, Katniss couldn't bring herself to reject them. It brought her a strange comfort in a world now filled with uncertainty. She sighed, her eyes sliding closed, as his hand grasped hers and he stroked her knuckles with his thumb.

Haymitch entered at that moment, obviously still drunk from the day before. "Lunchtime, kiddies!" he called, guiding them into the next car.

As promised, they opened the doors to a feast the likes of which neither had ever seen. Katniss's eyes widened at the amount and assortment. She made her way toward the feast, staring disbelievingly. Gale stopped beside her for only a moment before he was filling a plate with portions of everything. He then sat down at the table and dug in. She grinned. Even facing the Games, he could still eat thrice as much as she could on a good day. It was a well known fact that teenage boys never stopped being hungry and almost never stopped eating.

She, too, filled her plate with bits of everything. Sliding into the chair to Gale's right, she pushed the utensils toward him and he grinned sheepishly before picking up a fork to shovel the food into his mouth. Shaking her head, she took the first bite of her meal. Gale, of course, finished first. He wore a contented smile as he leaned back in his chair. Much of the food would be thrown away. No matter how hungry she and Gale might be, they wouldn't finish it before it spoiled. Her chest tightened at the thought of all the people in District 12 who could be enjoying this feast with him, most especially Prim, her mother, Peeta and Gale's family.

They arrived in District 11, which was seemingly better off than their own, though not by much. The residents still wore ragged clothing and the items for sale in the market were not truly better than those sold by merchants in District 12. They were guided to the stage as a Reaping like theirs began. The first name called was that of a young dark-complexioned girl with hair as black as night-Rue Borden. Studying her, Katniss was reminded invariably of Prim. The girl certainly wasn't much older than her sister.

The boy selected was older, perhaps even older than Gale. His complexion was dark as well and she could see a resemblance of sorts. She suspected they were brother and sister or at the very least, cousins. The heart-wrenching cries of the girl's mother broke the silence as Effie exclaimed, "Your District 11 tributes!"

After the Reaping, she and Gale were guided back to their car as the two tributes said their goodbyes. She couldn't help but stare out the window as the guards led Rue and the boy to their own set of cars, a dark-complexioned woman surrounded by a few younger children sobbing openly in the arms of another dark-complexioned woman.

The scene seemed to confirm her suspicions, both women resembling Rue and the boy to an extent. As the train whistle sounded and the locomotive began its slow crawl along the tracks, the sobbing woman collapsed in what appeared to be a dead faint. The small crowd became a blur as the train picked up speed, whizzing past them.

Each day as they drew closer to the Capitol went much like this. A meal would be provided, they would attend the next District's Reaping, two more tributes would join their ranks and the train would head toward its next destination, with beds provided in the next car. Though she and Gale were each provided their own beds, she often found herself crawling into his bed in the middle of the night, both talking about anything but the Reapings and what was to come.

Tonight was their last night before they were due to arrive at the Capitol and, as usual, Katniss lay in Gale's arms. She shivered at the familiar warmth of his breath on her neck. Her heart raced as the smell of sandalwood and sweat invaded her senses. He'd removed his shirt before bed, complaining that he was too warm. A smile crossed her lips as she dared to trace patterns over his bare abdomen with the tips of her fingers. His sharp indrawn breath caused her to look up and their gazes locked.

"Katniss," he rasped.

Cautiously, she brushed her lips against his, testing the waters. This was beyond insane, she knew, but there was a good chance one or both of them wasn't coming back. At least this way, she'd die knowing if Gale cared for her as much as she did for him. For several long moments, he simply stared at her, his chest heaving as he fought to remember to breathe. At last, he held her face in his hands and pulled her down, his lips meeting hers in a heated fervor.

"Gale," she gasped, his name becoming a moan as he undid the tie and buttons of her dress with shaky hands.

Cold hands grasped her breast and she sighed, arching into his touch. His eyes were wide with surprise as her hand held his in place, her eyes fluttering at the fire he was evoking in her.

Swallowing roughly, he croaked, "What are we doing, Katniss?"

"There's a good chance neither one of us is going to survive this," she whimpered. "And I don't want to die without knowing what it's like to be with you this way."

A hiss slipped past his lips as her free hand slid down to grasp his growing arousal. "How the hell do you expect me to think when you're doing that?" He ground out.

She grinned. "I suppose that's half the point," she murmured. "If this was about talking, they'd call it a conversation. As far as I know, the only conversation that this is supposed to involve is you screaming my name, me moaning yours and maybe a bit of 'Feels so good' and 'Don't stop' thrown in there somewhere."

"This isn't your first time?" he groaned, thrusting against her hand.

She worried her lower lip. "What makes you think that?"

He gasped. "Well, you don't seem in the least bit nervous about all of this. Not as nervous as I am, anyway."

"Since when, Gale, has me being nervous about something ever stopped me from going after what I want?" she murmured huskily.

He cursed a streak, taking advantage of her surprise to turn her on her back underneath him. "Have I ever told you how unbelievably turned on I get when you say my name like that?"

She smirked. "No. But then again, this is the first time I HAVE said your name like that."

"You're sure about this?" he murmured. "Once we do this, we can't just take it back."

Her fingers trailed over his shoulder, upward until her hand cupped his cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I want you this way. I don't plan to take anything back."


End file.
